Domestic Violence Statistics

It can be difficult to understand the gravity of a situation until you see just how many people are being affected and how. These are our mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, and cousins that are face to face with the problem of domestic violence. In fact, many of you out there may have had some experience with it yourself. Some of the numbers here will be shocking, but it is important that we all become familiar with how the citizens of our country are suffering. Without a full understanding of the problem, we will not be able to figure out how exactly to combat it effectively. Take a look at these statistics and then find out what you can do to help.

1. Over 1/4 of women were raped sexually assaulted at some point by their partner at some point in their life. That is one in every four women in the United States. Think about how many women you interact with on a daily basis, and then think about how many of them have had to deal with an act of sexual violence. For men the number is a bit lower, but still significant. Around 8% of men have been raped or sexually assaulted in their lifetime.

2. More than 50% of women that are killed by a firearm are murdered by their partner. As much as people worry about strangers and the potential threat that they pose, the statistics show that women should be just as worried if not more that their spouse or boyfriend will be holding the firearm than a stranger.

3. Nearly 1.5 million women are physically assaulted by their partner every single year in the US. Somewhat surprising is the fact that the number of men that are assaulted is close to 850,000. It seems as though the amount of men that are facing violence from their partner is not as low as many believe.

4. Women between the ages of 20 and 24 are the most age group that is most likely to face violence from a partner.

5. Close to 33% of women that are murdered are killed by an intimate partner.

6. Of the women that are stalked by a former partner, 81% of them had been physically abused by them.

7. 18% of women that experience domestic violence do not report it to authorities.

8. Of the African American population, 31% of women claim to have been abused in some way, whether sexually or physically.

9. 50% of homicides of female partners and 75% of batteries occur after the couple is separated. Their partners are simply unable to take the rejection and then use violence as a way to take back control.

10. Families or couples that have lower economic standings are more likely to have violence within their home.

Hopefully these statistics have provided you all with some enlightenment on this subject. According to the numbers, there is a good chance that many of the people that you know and love are suffering violence silently and may not know what they can do to help their situations. Learn to recognize the signs of domestic violence so that you can do your part to help those that may be too afraid to help themselves.